Bachelor of Science in Physics

Overview

The physics curriculum here is meant to reflect what is necessary to earn a Bachelor of Science in Physics.

Course List

This is a list of common topics covered in a physics major, as the courses become available they will be replaced with links

General Physics Topics

• Classical Physics (Basic Mechanics, Basic Fields, Thermodynamics, Bulk Matter, Oscillations as a Unifying Concept, Optics -- All Mostly Descriptive and Basic Calculations)
• Modern Physics (Kinetic theory, Relativity, Quantum Theory, Quantum Mechanics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Quantum Statistical Mechanics, Condensed Matter Physics, Subatomic Physics -- All Mostly Descriptive and Basic Calculations)
• Classical Mechanics (Kinematics, Solving Newton's Equations, Lagrange's Equations, Conservation Laws, Oscillations, Systems, Central Forces, Accelerated Frames, Rigid Bodies, Coupled Oscillators, Intro to Chaos)
• Electricity and Magnetism (Electrostatics, Electric Fields in Matter, DC Circuits, Magnetostatics, Magnetic Fields in Matter, Induction, AC Circuits, Maxwell's Equations)
• Special relativity (Relativistic Kinematics, Relativistic Dynamics, Conservation Laws, Covariant Formulation of Lagrangian Mechanics, Covariant Formulation of Electrodynamics)
• Electromagnetic Fields (Review, Potentials, Radiation Theory, Electrodynamics in Matter, EM Waves, Lagrangian Field Theory)
• Advanced Classical Physics (Optics, Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, Classical Statistical Mechanics, Classical Information Theory, The Vibrating String, Elasticity, Fluid Dynamics, Plasma Physics, General Relativity)
• Quantum Mechanics (The Schroedinger Equation, Dirac Notation, The Formulation of Quantum Mechanics, One-Dimensional Systems, Angular Momentum and Spin, Three-Dimensional Systems, EM Interactions, Perturbation Theory, Other Methods of Quantum Mechanics, Scattering)
• Statistical Mechanics (Quantum Statistical Mechanics, Microcanonical Ensembles, Canonical Ensembles, Grand Canonical Ensembles, Phase Changes, Superconductivity and Superfluidity, Condensation, Phase Equilibrium
• Applied Quantum Mechanics (Atomic Physics, Molecular Physics, Many-Body Systems, Solid State Physics, Quantum Information Theory, Quantum Optics, Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics)

Mathematics Courses

• Calculus (Limits, Derivatives, Indefinite Integrals, Definite Integrals by the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, Series Expansions, Maxima and Minima, Curve Tracing, Mean Value Theorem, Linear Approximations, Arc length, Surface Area, Volume of Revolution, Methods of Integration, Centroid, Mean Value by Integration, Series Convergence, Divergence, Operations on Series, Power Series, Introduction to Differential Equations, Improper Integrals, Partial Derivatives, Multiple Integrals)
• Linear Algebra (Complex Numbers, Vectors and Vector Algebra, Matrix Algebra, Systems of Linear Equations, Vector Spaces, Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Linear Mappings and Operators, Matrix Representation of a Linear Mapping, Determinants, Inner Product Spaces, Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, Similarity and Canonical Forms, Dual Vector Spaces and Functionals, Bilinear and Quadratic Forms, and Operators on Inner Product Spaces, Numerical Linear Algebra)
• Vector Calculus (Vector Differentiation, Vector Integration, Space Curves, The Del Operator - Gradient/Divergence/Curl, The Line Integral, The Surface Integral, The Volume Integral, Surface Representations, Other Coordinate Systems)
• Ordinary Differential Equations (First-Order Ordinary Differential Equations, Numerical Solution of Ordinary Differential Equations, Higher-Order Differential Equations, The Laplace Transform, Approximate Solutions of Ordinary Differential Equations, Systems of Differential Equations, Stability Theory, Series Solutions of Differential Equations, Special Functions, Flows, The Phase Plane, The Calculus of Variations, Dynamical Systems, Green's Functions)
• Mathematical Methods of Physics I (Data Analysis, Probability Theory, Mathematical Statistics, Abstract Algebra, Group Theory, Functions of a Complex Variable, Fourier Series, Fourier Transforms, Asymptotic expansions, Boundary Value Problems, Hilbert Spaces, Linear Operators on Hilbert Spaces, Lie Groups and Lie Algebras)
• Mathematical Methods of Physics II (Partial Differential Equations, Methods of Solving Partial Differential Equations, Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations, Complex Integration, Power Series, Residue Theory, Conformal Mapping, Potential Theory).
• Mathematical Methods of Physics III (Set Theory, Point Set Topology, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis, Distributions, Differential Forms, Tensor Analysis, Differential Geometry, Linear Programming, Graph Theory, Algebraic Topology, Complexes)

Astronomy

• General Relativity

Applied Physics

• Solid State Physics
• Continuum Mechanics